Subj : Re: Academic grades and programming
To   : comp.programming
From : Jon Harrop
Date : Tue Jul 26 2005 06:17 pm

Ivan Mascovich wrote:
> Jyrki Alakuijala <Jyrki.Alakuijala@find.me.via.google> wrote in
> news:dc287r $2n9$1@phys-news1.kolumbus.fi:
>> I have had more successful experiences working with Ph.D. and M.Sc.
>> level coders, especially when top-of-the-class, than one with mediocre
>> university performance or B.Sc level studies. Another important factor
>> in becoming a good programmer, is that most have started programming in
>> teenage (or earlier). However, I know a couple of good programmers who
>> are university drop-outs.
> 
> I've had the opposite experience. Those with graduate degrees in CS tend
> to be the WORST domestic coders.
> 
> Code produced in academia (eg X Windows), next to offshored code, tends to
> be the worst I've seen.

What kind of code are you thinking of?

Lots of open source software is written in academia, e.g. OCaml and much of
Linux, and is of very high quality. I'd be hard pressed to think of any
high quality commercial code, other than my own. ;-)

-- 
Dr Jon D Harrop, Flying Frog Consultancy
http://www.ffconsultancy.com

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